The SFZC Audio Archive

Zenju Earthlyn Manuel Osho explores stillness and silence as a response to the great suffering we are facing today. Can we trust the discovery promised in a practice of silence to lead us to resolve or peace? The talk explores the role of stillness and silence as responses to contemporary human suffering, positing that such practices can lead to personal and collective transformation. It questions the effectiveness of continuous...

Shosan Victoria Austin explores love as an internal posture, rather than a feeling. A stable base for our posture of love is awareness and patience with the negative emotions that often come up without our noticing them. The talk focuses on love as an internal posture, not simply a feeling, employing awareness and patience to navigate negative emotions. Emphasizing practical applications, it explores how to cultivate this posture through mindful...

The talk explores using the body as a vehicle on the Bodhisattva Path, illustrating how one's body can guide significant life decisions through practice, meditation, and alignment with the heart's desires. Integrating personal...

Zenju Earthlyn Manuel Osho speaks to the fear of being consumed by great suffering while being turned towards the expansion of life at the same time. The talk focuses on reconciling the paradox of embracing life's expansion alongside the fear and experience of profound suffering. The discussion prominently centers on the Heart Sutra, examining its core teaching of the...

Hokyo Lorenzo Garbo explores how lifelong, internalized expectations—shaped by personal history and conditioning—distort perception and create suffering by separating us from present-moment experience. The talk focuses on how internalized expectations, shaped by personal history and conditioning, distort perception and create suffering by disconnecting one from the present-moment experience. The idea is that expectations form a...

Heather Shōren Iarusso discusses an encounter with a rattlesnake when, in the flash of danger, there is no “Heather,” no narrative, no arising mental formations—only pure perception and appropriate response.... The talk explores the dissolution of self-identity in moments of pure perception, using the speaker's encounter with a rattlesnake as an example. It delves into the Buddhist concept of the five aggregates (form, sensation,...

Gengyoko Tim Wicks speaks about the history of the robes we wear (Buddha's Robe) and how it follows the geographic travel of Zen Buddhism. The talk examines the significance of the Buddha's robe (rakusu and okesa) as a symbol of the journey of Zen Buddhism across different cultures, encapsulating the union of body and mind. It delves into the historical and...

Onryu Mary Stares explores how external stimuli can act as a gate to practice if we use intention and curiosity. The talk examines how external stimuli, such as poetry, can serve as gates to Zen practice when approached with intention and curiosity. The poem "Bury Your Face in Your Hands" by Mark Strand is central, with multiple readings...

Abiding Abbot Dōshin Mako Voelkel discusses her January 2026 visit to Minneapolis with MARCH (Multifaith Antiracism, Change & Healing). In times of fear and violence, how does our practice teach us to pay attention to... The talk discusses responses to societal violence and unrest through Zen practice and emphasizes the intersection of spirituality and social activism. It highlights participation in a multifaith antiracism event organized by...

Kiku Christina Lehnherr explores how the body is completely and inseparably intertwined and interconnected with the mind and with everything in this universe, and how the practice of slowing down a fraction in all our activities... The talk explores the interconnection between the body and mind and the importance of cultivating bodily awareness in Zen practice. It emphasizes the need for slowing down and becoming more intimate with the body to foster...

So-on Eli Brown-Stevenson reflects on Dr. King’s legacy as a practice of staying human in the face of fear, polarization, and fatigue. Through Zen teachings on virya or joyful effort, we explore how commitment, courage, and... The talk explores the concept of "virya" or "joyful effort" in Zen Buddhism, drawing parallels to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of nonviolent activism. It examines how commitment, courage, and hope can be sustained through...

The talk explores the concept of non-separation in Zen Buddhism, emphasizing that suffering and delusion arise from the perceived separation from the world and others. It challenges this perception by asserting that everything...

Sozan Michael McCord explores how waiting is not necessarily patience. And it is not a passive default. In this talk, the subject of patience is explored as one of the Buddhist "paramitas" (perfections) that are both... The talk centers on the concept of patience as an active, cultivated practice, integral to the Buddhist paramitas. It emphasizes the importance of embodying patience by accepting each moment's reality rather than simply waiting...

The talk explores the practice of Zen through the lens of connecting poetic insights and the making of homemade bread, using the transformative journey of producing the "Tassajara Bread Book" as an illustrative metaphor. The...

12/22/2025, Gyokuden Stephanie Blank, dharma talk at City Center. Gyokuden Steph Blank considers Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol as a dharma story that reveals the transformative power of illumination, intimacy, and... The talk examines Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" as a dharma story, illustrating the transformative power of illumination, intimacy, and karmic fruition. The discussion equates Scrooge's journey of...

12/13/2025, Keiryu Liên Shutt, dharma talk at City Center. Keiryu Liên Shutt presents an informal comparison of Soto Zen and Insight practices within the context of The Three Marks of Existence.   The talk explores the intersection of U.S. Soto Zen and Insight Buddhism through the framework of the Three Marks of Existence: impermanence, not-self, and dukkha (suffering). It compares the core practices of Zen, which...

The talk emphasizes the significance of trees in both natural and spiritual contexts, discussing their role in sustaining life through processes like photosynthesis and their historical and cultural importance within Buddhism,...

The talk explores the concept of living in harmony with differences, emphasizing the importance of viewing the Sangha as a harmonious and pure community rather than a mere collection of individuals. It highlights that differences...

11/09/2025, Thiemo Blank, dharma talk at Green Gulch Farm. Waking up to the realty of hosting our lives. Thiemo uses the awarded kids' story "We are in a Book" to playfully teach studying the Self and tasting... This talk explores the nature of the self and its perception as separate from the world, addressing the illusion of separateness and its contribution to suffering. Using the children's story "We Are in a Book," the...

Serial: SF-12462 Talk by Zenshin Florence Caplow at City Center on 2025-11-01 The talk discusses the intersection of Zen practice and the experience of chronic illness, emphasizing the profound teachings derived from these challenges. The speaker reflects on the themes of energy (virya), confidence (...

Serial: SF-12392 Talk by Sessei Meg Levie at Green Gulch Farm on 2025-10-26 The talk focuses on the impact of Suzuki Roshi's teachings and the establishment of Zen practice in America, particularly through the founding of the San Francisco Zen Center. It highlights Suzuki Roshi's journey from Japan to...

Serial: SF-12408 Koji Vanessa Able asks: What is true readiness and how can we respond when we just don’t feel ready for a change or a challenge? What can practice teach us about showing up, even when we are unprepared? The talk explores the theme of "being oneself" and readiness, particularly in the context of Zen practice and personal experiences. The discussion highlights the challenges of embodying authenticity and the perceived...

Serial: SF-12420 Talk by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel Osho at City Center on 2025-10-18 The talk emphasizes the theme of uncertainty and the constant evolution of understanding in Zen practice. Through personal anecdotes and references to Zen teachings, the discussion challenges the audience to examine their...

Serial: SF-12433 Talk by Eli Brown Stevenson at Green Gulch Farm on 2025-10-12 The talk discusses the theme of impermanence in Zen, using the metaphor of bubbles to illustrate the concepts of suffering, impermanence, and no-self. The discussion revolves around the teachings of Suzuki Roshi and the Heart...